Vehicle rear spoiler device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9156508-B2
Application number	US-201214368750-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2012
Priority date	Dec 26, 2011
Publication date	Oct 13, 2015
Grant date	Oct 13, 2015

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle rear spoiler device to be mounted on a rear side of a roof of a vehicle. The vehicle rear spoiler device includes a wall surface for forming an air flow path between the wall surface and a rear window glass of the vehicle. A part of an air current moving rearward along a roof surface of the roof during traveling is caused to pass through the air flow path as a downward current toward the rear window glass. The wall surface is formed to gradually widen the air flow path in a manner that an outflow width of an outlet on the rear window glass side in the air flow path is larger than an inflow width of an inlet on the roof side in the air flow path.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle rear spoiler device, comprising:
a wall surface for forming an air flow path, through which a part of an air current moving rearward along a roof surface of a vehicle passes as a downward current, the air flow path being formed between the wall surface and a rear part of the vehicle;
an outlet side edge portion formed on the wall surface correspondingly to an outlet of the air flow path; and
an inlet side edge portion formed on the wall surface correspondingly to an inlet of the air flow path,
wherein an outflow width corresponding to a distance between the wall surface and the rear part of the vehicle at the outlet side edge portion is set to be larger than an inflow width corresponding to a distance between the wall surface and the rear part of the vehicle at the inlet side edge portion, and
wherein a guide portion is formed on the wall surface, the guide portion having a groove or a linear protrusion diverging from a central portion toward an outside in the vehicle width direction, inclining to a lower side along a direction toward the outside in the vehicle width direction, and one end portion of the guide portion extends toward a vehicle rear edge of the wall surface.

2. A vehicle rear spoiler device according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio between the inflow width and the outflow width is set so as to generate a diffuser effect for the downward current in the air flow path.

3. A vehicle rear spoiler device according to claim 2 , wherein the ratio between the inflow width and the outflow width is set substantially to 11:14.

4. A vehicle rear spoiler device according to claim 3 , further comprising an upper surface for branching another part of the air current separately from the downward current, and moving the another part of the air current rearward, wherein the upper surface becomes gradually lower in height than the roof surface toward a rear of the vehicle.

5. A vehicle rear spoiler device according to claim 1 , wherein one end of the guide portion reaches the vehicle rear edge of the wall surface.

6. A vehicle rear spoiler device according to claim 1 , wherein the one end portion of the guide portion is positioned apart in the vehicle width direction by a predetermined distance from a central portion in the vehicle width direction of the wall surface.

7. A vehicle rear spoiler device according to claim 1 , wherein the guide portion is inclined in the vehicle front-and-rear direction with respect to the vehicle width direction in a manner that the guide portion is directed toward an outside from the central portion in the vehicle width direction along a direction toward the rear of the vehicle.

8. A vehicle rear spoiler device according to claim 1 , wherein the guide portion comprises another end portion that extends up to the vehicle rear edge of the inner surface.

9. A vehicle rear spoiler device according to claim 1 , wherein the position of the one end portion of the guide portion is spaced apart in the vehicle width direction from the central portion in the vehicle width direction of the wall surface by a length of 1/10 or more of a length in the vehicle width direction of a rear window glass.

Assignees

• Aisin Seiki

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Wataru
• Shibutani Yukihide
• Morita Mamoru

Classifications

• Y02T10/82

  Elements for improving aerodynamics · CPC title

• B62D35/007 Primary

  Rear spoilers (B62D35/001 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62D37/02

  by aerodynamic means · CPC title